The best food and drink on the golf course: A travel writer’s favorites

As a writer who travels the globe covering golf, travel and all things food and drink — and who amassed 110,000 frequent flyer miles in 2025 — GOLF contributor Shaun Tolson has visited some of the world’s most famous golf clubs, resorts and best-kept secrets. Below, on Clubhouse Eats, he shares some of his favorite bites and sips from his most recent travels.

Pork Milanese at Isabella’s Kitchen at Grayhawk Golf Club

When I think of Phoenix, Ariz., neither my brain nor my taste buds land on Italian food. Usually, I end up reflecting on the impressive tequila collections or reminiscing about the world-class tacos – both of which I’ve enjoyed there over the years.

However, on my most recent trip to the Valley of the Sun, I was lucky enough to eat Isabella’s kitchen IN Grayhawk Golf Club. More specifically, I was lucky enough to order the Pork Milanese.

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. It’s a pork cutlet, thinly sliced ​​and deep fried. How memorable can it really be? For starters, the plate of food that was placed in front of me was massive. I’m always a quality over quantity guy, but even so, this was impressive. Furthermore, a great Milanese is as much about the fresh salad that garnishes the meat as it is about the protein itself; and Isabella’s mix of arugula, pickled red onion, fennel and grated parmesan – all tossed in a bright lemon vinaigrette – was phenomenal.

Tacos in Tingum on the 5th

Speaking of tacos … On a recent visit to the Abaco Club in the Bahamas, I heard talk of a taco truck parked near the beach, just beyond the fifth hole of the golf course. I also heard that those tacos had a cult following among club members. Honestly, that was all I needed to hear.

Riding in my golf cart, I made my way up to the front nine. It took a while—I drove for nearly a mile and a quarter—but I finally made it to the Tingum food truck. If I didn’t already have tacos on the brain, the cheese-crusted lobster quesadilla would almost certainly have ended up on my plate. But I reminded myself that the truck’s tacos were the treasure.

Classic options like grilled chicken and blackened fish were met with more creative offerings, such as buffalo shrimp (with pickled onions, jalapeno ranch and coconut) or dry-rubbed steak (with fried cherry peppers and cream cheese). The steak came recommended by the chef, so it was decided: two steaks and a blackened fish. Both were as good as they sounded and proved that some things are worth going the extra mile – literally.

Saint James cocktail

While staying at the Abaco Club, I went up to the bar at the new private residential community’s Bay Club. I immediately spotted a familiar bottle – St George Spirits’ Aqua Perfecta, a basil eau de vie that is delicious but, in my experiences at home, somewhat challenging to mix with. I asked head bartender James Vil how he usually incorporates it into drinks, but discovered he hadn’t tried using it yet.

One sip of it later, he was ready to give it a spin.

Vil thought for a moment, then broke out a cocktail shaker and immediately poured out two ounces of the disturbing eau de vie, which immediately surprised me. (On the liquor company’s website, the few cocktail recipes that use Aqua Perfecta never refer to it as the base spirit. No Vil. He’d make it the star.) The young bartender then added an ounce of lemon juice, half an ounce of blackberry liqueur and a quarter ounce of agave nectar.

After shaking the concoction vigorously, he pulled out a small sample for a taste test, then double strained the rest into a coupe glass and pushed it my way. “Tell me what you think.”

Sweet and subtle, the sour-style cocktail was pleasantly herbal, albeit in an understated way. It seemed the perfect libation for an early evening in the Bahamas. “It’s good,” I said, nodding as I took another sip.

“Now you have to name it,” he replied.

Fortunately, I figured it out almost as quickly as Vil settled on the drink recipe. “St. James,” I declared.

He smiled.

Negroni at Orient Express La Minerva

If nothing jumps out at me on a cocktail menu, my go-to drink order is a Negroni. It’s been like this for years. I love a good old fashioned one, but I’m particular about how they’re made and, if I’m completely honest, I make a good one at home. So I’m picky.

or Negronion the other hand, it is almost infallible. Equal measures of gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, the ratios are straightforward and consistent. Sure, I’ll lean a little more heavily on the gin pour when I make one at home, but a standard Negroni will never disappoint.

So you can imagine my delight when my host at the Orient Express La Minerva in Rome asked me if I’m a Negroni fan. The bar La Minerva, I was told, does the best in town; and a specific brand of vermouth is the bar’s secret weapon.

Unlike Carpano Antica Formula—a sweet vermouth for zesty, spirited cocktails—Mancino Rosso Vermouth, I discovered, is more savory and sweet (think sundried tomatoes). This bodes well in a bitter drink like the Negroni. The drink I was served was rich and robust, and while the bright citrus notes found in Campari were less present, an expression of lemon oils from a twist added just the right amount of acidity.

How much better was it than a Negroni made with a more common sweet vermouth? Let’s just say that when I got home, I left to look for a bottle of Mancino, leaving $50 for it, which is a lot for vermouth. But it’s worth every penny, as long as you’re a fellow Negroni enthusiast.

Farwell is shot in La Dolce Vita

At the conclusion of the Orient Express’ first golf trip through Italy, just before the end of the year, I approached the train’s bar manager, Giuseppe Carillo, and asked him if there was a common shot or drink that Italians would have together to say a fond farewell to each other. It seemed fitting to raise a glass with him and his team after four great days on board the luxury rail line, La Dolce Vita.

The question had barely left my lips and Carillo was already shaking his head and reaching for a cocktail shaker. Into it, he poured a steady stream of Campari. Seriously, he poured a lot of Campari. To this, he added a generous splash of balsamic vinegar, then a sprinkle of salt. If I hadn’t known he was making a round of drinks for his entire team, I would have thought I was going to get hit.

After loading the container with ice and giving it a vigorous shake, the young bartender poured out a string of ruby-colored shots. We all reached for one and either ate it or sent it back, and what I tasted was unlike anything I’d had before. A delightful blend of bitterness, sweetness and saltiness, it evoked Italian flavors and the Italian method of making them – simple construction but surprising depth.

If the shot has a name, Carillo never shared it. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to recreate without a recipe. Admittedly, I still haven’t nailed down the ratios, but each attempt has been delicious in its own way. This is worthy of a “hello!” her.